Dental unit with resiliently supported tools



I July 7, 1970 5, v, LUNDiN 3,518,764

DENTAL UNIT WITH RESILIENTLY SUPPORTED TOOLS Filed Oct. 9. 1967 IN V EN TOR. Svi/v M 1. H51, M [MAM/5L By Lwvow Patented July 7, 1970 3,518,764 DENTAL UNIT WITH RESILIENTLY SUPPORTED TOOLS Sven Vilhelm Emanuel Lundin, Satravagen 25,

Saltsjobaden, Sweden Filed Oct. 9, 1967, Ser. No. 673,809 Claims priority, application Sweden, Oct. 11, 1966, 13,7 65/ 66 Int. Cl. A61c 19/02 US. Cl. 3222 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In a holder unit having a box-like housing through which tubes or cables connected to tools are conveyed, free-standing resilient elements in the form of coil springs are provided, for holding or supporting these tools in readiness for use. Each tube or cable leading from the housing to a tool is suspended in and supported by an individual resilient element, the elements being adapted to compensate the weight of the tube or cable and also to maintain the tool substantially unaffected by horizontal forces in use.

The present invention relates to a holder unit for tools connected to flexible tubes or cables, more particularly flexible tube connected dentists tools.

Various tools of the type of flexible tube connected boring motors and airand water sprayers form part of the equipment of the dental surgeon. Earlier the electrically driven boring machine dominated as the only item of such equipment. However, said type of machine has more and more been substituted by motors, driven by pressurized air, of substantially two different types, one of which, the so called. airotor, operates at up to 200,000 to 300,000 revolutions per minute, and the other one, the so called air motor, operates at from 10,000 to 15,0 revolutions per minute. In the first mentioned type the jet of expanding air is let out at the drill, while in the second type mentioned it is required that the air is conveyed to a silencer. The airotor always requires water cooling, which sometimes can be a desirable feature also of the air motor equipment. Referring to the sprayers mentioned above, they are intended for use exclusively with air or exclusively with air and water. When possibilities are at hand to combine these functions to be performed by one single sprayer this is usually done in modern equipment.

The dentists need of sprayingand ,boring equipment is usually fully covered by such a combination sprayer and the two types of boring machines mentioned. The flexible tubes coupled to these boring machines and sprayers are usually equipped with a number of flow channels for air under pressure, return flowof air, water etc.

The use of such equipment is greatly facilitated, if the respective tools are of light weight, are easy to handle and their corresponding tubes being light and very flexible. But even if all these desiredifeatures are present, it is evident that the tubes and their handling involve a lot of trouble. In the simplest arrangements known, the tubes appear in free suspension between the compressor and/ or pumping unit and the boring machine and sprayer respectively used by the dentist. As an alternative to the free suspension of the tubes, it is also known to have them Weighted and let them travel over pulleys for their return movement. It is also known to wind up the tubes on a number of bobbins housed in the respective unit. When the boring machines and the sprayer are not in use, the tubes are concealed in the housing of the unit, whereby the machines as Well as the sprayer usually are placed in the holes taken out in the housing for the passage of the tubes. The bobbins mentioned are arranged according to the roller blind principle, whereby the adequate length of tubing between the housing unit and the tool is maintained.

All the known arrangements are impaired by the drawback, as seen from the point of view of the dentist, that they are too much present. The ideal condition would of course be to be able to employ the tools as if they were not connected to any tubes at all, i.e. the tubes should not by their weight, length or pull impair the tool operation, thereby tiring the operator. Naturally the tubes should not come in contact with the patient, irrespective of his occupying a sitting or inclined position during the treatment. In order to seize the tool and return it to resting position, the tool holder in itself should moreover be designed to permit the seizing and returning of it without requiring the dentist to deviate his attention from the operation spot. This means to say that seizing and returning the tool should take place with the tool holder in the outer range of view, and the operation must therefore not require any amount of precision. This requirement implicates that the tool occupies the correct position in the tool holder for the seizing operation and for its use. The different kinds of tube manipulation of the prior art render difficult and in certain cases completely impede the possibilities to meet said requirements.

It is the object of the invention to obviate the inconveniences of the known tool holding devices and to provide an embodiment of the type of tool holder mentioned, meeting the demand for proper position of the tools in state of readiness and making it possible for the dentist to handle the tools with the least possible interference of the connecting tubes. This is principally obtained by a holding unit of box-like housing design according to the invention, through which housing the tubes or cables connected to the tools are conveyed, and on the outside of which holding or supporting elements for the tools are mounted, which elements maintain the tools resting upon them in a state of readiness, the portions of each of the tubes or cables leading from the housing to the tools being suspended in and supported by individual resilient elements, such as a freestanding helical spring or the like, protruding from the housing.

In a specially suitable embodiment of a holder unit according to the invention, each of the resilient elements, in state of readiness of the tool as well as under operating conditions, maintaining the corresponding portion or section of tube or cable in stretched condition in a substantially vertical plane, in which plane the point of connection of the tube or cable to the tool and the point in the housing, from where said tube or cable emerges, is located at a level inferior to the level of the point or points in which the tube or cable portion is suspended by the resilient element.

In order to compensate for the weight of the tube or cable portion of the tool assembly under operating condition, at least to a fairly high extent, each of the resilient elements is, according to an embodiment of the invention, by chosing of its length and rigidity adapted to maintain the tool substantially unaffected by the horizontal forces created in the suspension system formed by the tube portion and the corresponding resilient element.

The holding or supporting elements may be given several different embodiments. According to one particularly suitable embodiment they comprise a plate, one longitudinal edge of which being provided with indents. This plate is mounted on the housing in such a way that the indents are open in a direction pointing outward from the housing. The embodiment further comprises a shelf structure likewise mounted on the housing protruding in outward direction from the housing below the plate.

longitudinal fre e edge of this shelf i s ln s tate of're'adine's's' 'atool rests 'at'one'end on the flange portion units of boring machines, driven by pressurized air, and "ofhand piece design, and a combined air and water sprayer. Of the'tools mentioned only one ofthe two boring machines, designed as handpieces, is shown in the drawing, the 'two other tools having 'beerr'ornitted for the'sake of clearness. The holder unit itself comprises substantially a box-like housing, indicated by numeral l,

through openings in which the tubes for the different tools are passed. The box 1 may e1g'. house lubricating devices, reducing valves and/ or magnetic valves or the like usually incorporated'in the circuit of tubing connecting tools with corresponding air or water supplies, whereby these devices are well hidden from occular view but anyhow easily accessible. From the box-like housing 1 the tubes 4 for tools 3 emerge. Each one of the tubes is suspended in and supported by an individual free-standing helical spring 5, each one of the springs protruding obliquely upwards from the housing. Moreover, two holding or supporting elements are mounted on the outside of housing 1 in any suitable manner. One of said supporting devices has the shape of a horizontal cantilever shelf 2, protruding from the inferior leading edge of housing 1, and along its longitudinal free edge being flanged in such a way that a chute or gutter 6 is formed. The other holding or supporting element is located above shelf 2 and mounted along the upper leading edge of the housing, so that it protrudes obliquely upwards from said housing. In the drawing this second element has substantially the shape of a rectangular plate 7 provided with indented recesses 8 in the longitudinal edge facing outwards from the housing. In state of readiness tool 3 is resting with one of its ends in chute 6, while close to its opposite end it is supported in a recess 8 in plate 7. In order to permit easy sterilization of shelf 2, it should have a detachable mounting on housing 1. This problem can be solved by any known mounting arrangement. By providing shelf 2 with the chute or flanged portion 6 a solid support is obtained for the boring machines as well as for the sprayer at the same time as undesired drip from these tools is prevented.

When tool 3 is placed in state of readiness in holding or supporting elements 2, 7 the corresponding tube portion 4 from the tool to housing 1 extends substantially in the same direction as when the tool is in use, and the tube is in both cases maintained in stretched condition in a substantially vertical plane by the spring. When the tool is taken into use, it is moved in a substantially horizontal direction in said vertical plane. The positions of tube 4 and spring during such a movement is shown in the drawing. From the drawing it also appears that the point of connection of tube 4 to tool 3 and the'point where said tube emerges out of housing 1 both are located at a lower level than the point, in which the respective tube is suspended in its corresponding spring 5. This is the case when the tool is in use as well as when it is in state of readiness resting in the holding device.

a ate I The holder unit according to the invention in the first place brings with it theadvantage that the tubes only to a very small extent influence the manual tool handling. This is due to the force deforming the spring and being equivalent to the weight of the greater part of tube 4 being counteracted by a spring force of equal strength lifting up the tube. For the operator holding the tool in his hand this makes the impression that the tube is weightless. Nota bene, it is not only the vertical component of gravity force, which due to the tube actuates upon the tool, which is considerably reduced, but also the horizontal component of the force, required to maintain the tube fairly stretched between the holder unit and the tool, is reduced. It is to .be understood that the deformation of the spring, when the tool is in use,- does not require anyhorizontal force. 1 v.

-The invention is not limited to the'embodiment illustrated which only is described as an example. It is of course possible, within the scope of invention, to substitufe the springshown by any othersuitable resilient element, for example on elastic tube or a similar spring protruding from the housing and embracing a portion of the tube.

It is also obvious that the two holding or supporting elements can be shaped differently and by way of example have the form of possibly undulated wires or the like.

In addition to use in connection with tube connected tools it is of course entirely possible to employ a holder unit according to the invention in connection with tools, which are electrically connected by means of a cable, it also being possible to use said holder unit together with other kind of tools than dentists tools.

What I claim is:

1. In a dental unit having a housing'and plurality of dental tools and flexible members interconnecting 'the tools with the housing; the improvement comprising elongated resilientsupport elements having two ends, said elements being secured to housing at one end of the elements and extending outwardly from the housing and supporting at their other ends remote from theflexible members at points on the flexible members that are a substantial distance away from the housing.

2. A dental unit as claimed in claim 1, said support elements comprising elongated helical springs secured at one end to the housing and at the other end to the flexible members. I

3; A dental unit'as claimed in claim 2, said other ends of said springs being disposed higher than the ends of said' springs which are secured to the housing.

' 4. A dental unit as claimed in claim 2, said flexible References Cited UNITED STATES P TE T 1,694,669 12/1928 Pieper 32--22 3,346,957 10/1967 Maurer et al 32-22 ROBERT PESHOCK, Primary Examiner 

